Why has Bertha been characterized as the "madwoman in the attic" by literary scholars ?
Correct answer: D. To make an ironic statement about the point of view and marginalization of the "Other" in Victorian England
- A. To represent the expansion of Gothic literary spaces from only subterranean spaces to attics as well
- B. To represent the shift from the male Gothic villain to the female Gothic villain in the Victorian Gothic novel
- C. To make reference to the rise of personal responsibility in Victorian England for the care of the sick and insane
- D. To make an ironic statement about the point of view and marginalization of the "Other" in Victorian England
Explanation
Calling Bertha the “madwoman in the attic” highlights how the supposedly mad woman is confined and silenced as an excluded Other. The phrase therefore also exposes the irony and marginalisation built into Victorian ideals of normality.
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